Little Raindrops
by evelinaonline
Summary: The rain had always helped Cole feel better. However, as a ghost, he was unable to go near his only comfort. He silently stared at it from inside, hoping his heart would stop begging for him to go out. It only took a fuzzy blanket, a warm hug and Jay's sweet smile. [Bruiseshipping, Jay x Cole]


It's an endless circle. A case of repeating. When water evaporates, as everyone learnt from a young age, it turns into steam that goes into the air. It rises up high, and as it gets cold, it turns into clouds. And once air can't hold anymore water, clouds get heavy, and millions of raindrops fall down on the earth, only to repeat the same process. It's an endless circle, with a beautiful outcome, if you are willing to understand the cycle's meaning. Some people feel the rain, while others only get wet.

Cole could do neither.

For as long as he could remember, he loved the rain. Ever since he was little, his father would take him out on walks while it rained. They'd play in the puddles and dance together. It was one of the only good childhood memories Cole had. Once his mother passed, his father became distant. He was so persistent, always forcing him to do things he was not interested in. It was as if Cole had lost both of his parents in one day.

The rain meant something to him. There wasn't a rainy day that Cole hadn't taken an advantage of. Whenever he'd feel as if he had too much on his chest, he'd sit under the open sky, letting the cold raindrops hit his body. That was, if he were lucky enough for there to be rain.

It really didn't matter after he and his brothers paid a visit to the Temple of Airjitzu, however. As a ghost, the rain worked as the exact opossite of what it did before: Instead of helping him, it destroyed him. In a literal way. Not being able to touch water affected him in more ways than he had imagined. Obviously, he couldn't drink it. He couldn't have long bubble baths and he surely couldn't train near Nya anymore. But, what hurt him most was that he couldn't make contact with the rain from then on.

He tried to tell himself that it didn't matter. The more days went by, however, the more stressful he got. Dealing with his new self, his new powers and feelings called for a way to deal with stress. But since he could no longer rely on food for that, as he was not able to get enough satisfaction from it as a ghost, and could not rely on the rain, he felt desperate.

As far as he could tell, Cole was an introvert. That took talking with someone about his emotions out of the list as well. He tried not to bother his teammates with his problems, causing a conflict to take place inside of him. More or less, he had created another endless cycle. Only that time, it was not a pleasant one.

Cole missed the feeling of the rain on him. He missed feeling his hair slowly getting wet, his clothes becoming soaked with water, and the contact his skin made with it. He was still greatful for being able to look at it though.

That night, he did just that. He made himself as comfortable as he could at the edge of the window and leaned his head against the thick glass. He watched as the rain hit Destiny's Bounty and ran down the window. He wished nothing more but to go out there but he knew that was out of the question.

"Get a blanket, dum dum." he jumped as he heard a voice behind him.

He turned around, only to see Jay in his pajamas with a fuzzy blanket in hand. "It's three in the morning, Jay! Quiet down, you'll wake the others up!" Cole yelled-whispered.

The boy internally facepalmed himself. "Oops?" he chuckled nervously. "S-Still, take it. It's super chilly tonight." he insisted, making his way closer to Cole.

"Ghosts don't get cold, Jay." Cole informed him and there was clearly a sign of sadness in his voice.

"O-Oh my…" Jay wanted the earth to shallow him. "Cole, I'm sorry, I'm such a jerk for not thinking about that, I'm so sorry, I should have considered that before I acted, if only I could think for once then it wouldn't have led to this, now I probably made you feel even more terrible than before, I am the worst friend to ever-"

"T-The blankets may not be able to warm me up but they are still very comfortable!" Cole interrupted him, in an attempt to make him feel better. He couldn't care less that he couldn't feel the blankets at that point. All he wanted was to see his friend's smile again. It broke his heart to see Jay overexaggerating like that, not to mention blaming himself for the situation.

"R-Right." Jay took a deep breath. "Sorry, for this…" he pointed his gaze at the ground.

Cole tried to put on a smile. "Don't worry about it." He just hoped that it was enough to convince Jay that everything was fine.

"Okay." Jay smiled back, sitting at the opossite side of the window's edge. The moment his body made contact with it, a chill went up his spine. He didn't realise it would have been that cold. "Here," he handed Cole the blanket, hiding his discomfort. The last thing he wanted was to make Cole even more upset, by taking back what he had to offer. "Nice and cozy."

Cole carefully placed the blanket on top of him. It was a blue, long and fluffy blanket, definitely one of the most comfortable ones in the ship. He burried half his face in it, relaxing as much as he could. It took a moment, but he soon realised to whom this banket belonged to. "Isn't this your blanket?" he asked, feeling a tickling feeling in his cheeks.

"Yeah, why?" Jay asked.

The feeling became more intense. "... If it's yours, why are you giving it to me?"

"Because it's the best one we have, duh! Made by no other than my mom." Jay smiled widely. "She gave it to me on my 10th birthday!"

Cole shook his head and chuckled. "We'll see about that."

"Hey, my mom may be a bit insistent at times but you can't doubt her sewing skills just like that!" the master of lightning joked.

The silliness Jay showed was one of the things Cole liked most about him. When he made careless jokes like that or when he stuck his tongue out at him playfully, it was all enough to make him drift away from reality. It was at that moment Cole found himself lost once more. Not in the rain, but in Jay.

Although the room was completely dark, with the only souce of light coming from outside - which was limited since the sky was covered with clouds - Cole could see Jay's eyes shining as he took in the sight of the rain. It was as if everything Cole loved about the rain was being reflected in Jay's eyes, causing it to spread all over him. And as he studied him like that, Cole noticed something else about Jay.

The boy was as cold as he could have been.

Without thinking much of it, Cole gently threw the blanket on top of Jay. The sudden warm feeling on his body took Jay by surprise. "Why are you-?"

"Jay, your whole body is shaking."

"So? I brought this for you, it's not fair for me to take it like that-"

"Don't be silly. You're going to catch a cold." Cole scolded him. Jay looked at Cole with an apologetic look. "It's okay, really." he was quick to add. "I'd hate for you to get cold. Your health is more important than my satisfaction."

Jay didn't protest to that. For a moment, Cole thought he had persuaded him to keep the blanket. However, the moment he turned around to look outside the window once more, Jay launched himself between his legs, bringing the blanket with him and covering them both up. "Your emotional state is equally important." he muttered and snuggled on his chest.

It was the first time ever since he had turned into a ghost that Cole felt warmth overfilling him. He couldn't process what had just happened. When he went to look at the rain, he definitely didn't expect to end up with Jay cuddling on his lap. Thousands of thoughts were spinning in his head. He tried his best not to romanticize the moment but it was helpless.

Cole wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He absolutely didn't want Jay to think he had any 'weird' intentions. They were just friends, after all. 'But what if the reason Jay did what he did is because he, too…'

His head and heart had overheated and were ready to blow up.

"You said that ghosts don't get cold," Jay mumbled. "but apparently they can heat up because you are very nice and cozy right now."

That was it for Cole. That was where his 'keep it together' act fell apart. He wanted nothing more but to cover his face with his hands and cuddle into a ball to maintain his cool but he wasn't able to. Instead, his overwhelming feelings came out in the form of a quiet squeal.

There was no reaction from Jay, at first. A few seconds later, however, the brunet bursted out laughing. "What was that about?"

"S-Shut up…" Cole mumbled. He sighed. "Just shut up, for a second…" Cole wrapped his arms around Jay, allowing him to snuggle on him more easily.

To Cole's surprise, Jay didn't try to joke around the situation any longer. "Okay." was all he said, before he pulled himself closer to Cole, wrapping his arms around him as well.

He looked so tiny in comparison to Cole. The blanket was covering the entirety of Jay's body, the only visible parts being his eyes and the top of his head. It seemed as if he couldn't get more comfortable than that.

Same could be said for Cole. He couldn't remember the last time he been this peaceful. He had been waiting for that moment for so long, and although he knew that they would probably never speak of it again after it was over, he didn't care. At that moment, he felt better than he ever did in a long amount of time.

Jay, on the other hand, was unsure of how to feel. He had known of Cole's crush on him. It was very obvious if you paid close attention to some things. When he first found out, he was heart-broken. He felt terrible that he was one of the reasons Cole suffered every day. But Jay couldn't change his feelings. He was certain his heart beat for Nya.

But as time went by, and the more he thought about it, the more he started to question his own feelings. 'Why am I feeling so sympathetic around him? Is it pity? It must be.' He tried his best to believe his own words. It just didn't make sense to him. He had known Nya and Cole for years. What he saw them as and his feelings couldn't change just like that, could they?

Jay started wondering if the reason he found comfort in Cole was because he saw him as a replacement of Nya. But that didn't sound right. How could his best friend be just a replacement? 'What is he to me, then?' he constantly asked himself.

Even after months went by, Jay could not determine whether what he felt was real or not. And at that night, he didn't really know why he did what he did. He told himself it was because he didn't want to see his best friend be upset. 'If he likes me that way, then I could make him feel better, couldn't I? It's the right thing to do for him! I think…' He knew, however, that was not the only reason he acted the way he did.

The silence between the two boys remained still. The only sound filling the room was the rain, dripping from the sky and hitting against the wooden floor. It didn't seem like it would stop any time soon, but at that point, it did not really matter. The two of them were enjoying as much of the moment as they could, knowing it would not last for long. None of them dared to express their concern.

Having his head laid down on Cole's chest, Jay had another relaxing sound dance in his ears. His heartbeat. If he were honest, he couldn't decide whether it made him more anxious or calmed him down. On one hand, he was afraid. He was afraid of liking it. He was afraid of seeing - or rather, hearing - how much Cole cared. Jay knew Cole's heart was beating for him, and that scared him the most.

Then again, his heartbeat was so steady. Jay had started to lose focus on the rain and focus on the beat instead. He counted the seconds, he felt the slight vibration each beat caused. In a way, he felt safe in Cole's arms. It was the first time he experienced anything like that. The feeling was driving him crazy.

"Jay," Cole whispered. "are you still awake?"

"Y-Yeah." Jay jumped slightly in surprise. "A-Are you?" he asked and immediately realised how stupid his question was.

"No, I'm currently asleep, how come you asked?" Cole joked, and Jay could hear a smile in his voice.

"Then I guess you are missing out on these 'little raindrops', or however you want to call them." Jay pouted, clearly embarassed.

Cole chuckled. "Little like your freckles."

"Oh my god, shut up this instant." Jay felt his cheeks starting to burn, so in order to cool them down, he buried his face in Cole's chest even more.

"Says you, whose voice just went up at least five octaves."

"Hey, you're supposed to be the 'singing and dancing' one!" Jay tried to hide his nervousness behind a joke, like he usually did.

"Maybe." Cole smiled, closing his eyes for a few seconds. "Say, Jay?"

"W-What?" Jay mumbled, still embarassed from before.

"Why did you… You know." he took a deep breath. "Hug me? I guess? I can't really make it sound less awkward than that, heh."

"Oh, I don't know, Cole," Jay saw his words as an opportunity to strike back. "Why do _you_ have a crush on me?"

"That does not have anything to do with-" Cole gasped. "Y-You know about that? I-I mean, wh-what crush? You're so funny, Jay! Always joking a-and messing around! You make me laugh!"

"You done?"

Cole sighed deeply. "Yeah… Sorry, for this." he mumbled. "I'm just… It's complicated."

"I'm listening." Jay offered, pulled away from Cole and looked at him in the eyes. He quickly realised how weird that must have sounded. "I-If you want to talk about it, of course. I know this might be weird for you, since it's me who you're talking about and all."

"It's okay." Cole sighed once more. "It was… A matter of time, anyway."

Jay nodded. "Go on."

"I don't know when exactly I started to feel that way." he started. "I know it was after we made up in the tournament of elements. I was so happy we were on good terms after all this time, you know? I was upset to find out that the excitement of our friendship died out. Not because I didn't want us to be friends, but because it… It changed into something else, Jay. And I don't know why."

"Hey," Jay put his hand on top of Cole's. "I-It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"You… Don't think I'm weird?" Cole shyly asked.

Jay shook his head. "Of course not! It's not something you can control, after all. When I was head over heels for Nya, it wasn't something I chose. It just… Happened. Just like what's happening to you now. So no, I don't think you're weird, Cole. You're my best friend." he smiled kindly at him.

Nodding, Cole smiled back. "Thanks, Jay. I'm glad you understand."

"No pro-"

"Wait." the earth ninja interrupted his friend.

"What's up?"

"Before, you said 'When I was head over heels for Nya', right?"

Jay raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, why?"

"What do you mean 'when you were' head over heels for her?"

"Oh!" Jay exclaimed."N-Nothing! I-It meant nothing!"

Cole shook his head, clearly not convinced. "You've always been a terrible liar, you know? You may be able to hide things from Kai or Zane, but not from me."

The boy beside him scratched the back of his head. "W-Well," he chuckled nervously, looking down. "L-Let's just say th-that… You're really gonna make me say it, aren't you?"

"What is it?"

"Imayormaynotlikeyoutoo?" Jay blurted as fast as he could.

"What?" Cole tilted his head. "Slow down, motor mouth. Not everyone is lightning fast as you, you kn-"

"I. Like. You." Once the words escaped Jay's mouth, he looked outside the window to avoid Cole's gaze. "There, I said it. Happy?"

Cole didn't know what to say. He stood still, trying to process the new information he had just obtained. Jay Walker, his best friend, and long-time crush, had just admitted to have a crush on him too. Cole could feel his heart starting to beat faster and that warmth he so much loved came back, overfilling him with joy.

"Y-You serious right now?" Cole needed Jay to confirm it once more. He just couldn't believe it.

"Yes, I'm serious, now please, stop mentioning it, it's embarassing!" Jay pouted.

"Oh, so it's okay for you to ask me about my feelings but when I do it it's not?" Cole joked, smirking. "Gotcha!"

"Cole!"

"Whaaat?" he pretended to be upset. "I'm just saying the truth."

"Stop!"

"Fine, fine. But just so you know…" Cole grinned. "You are very adorable when you are embarassed like that."

Jay felt his soul leave his body. "Cole!" he playfully punched him. He failed to hold back his smile, revealing his delight.

"So you are enjoying this." the ghost snickered. "A-dorable!" he added, still joking.

"This was supposed to be a relaxing night, I wasn't planning on confessing any feelings tonight." Jay mumbled. "But… At the end of the day, I'm… I'm glad I did."

Jay looked up at Cole, deep into his green eyes. Although he couldn't see himself, he could tell his reaction was probably similar to Cole's. Shy gaze, flushed cheeks, dork smile. It was just like them.

Cole cleared his throat, breaking eye contact. "S-So… What now?"

"Well shit, Cole, I don't know." Jay bit his lip. "What… What should we do?"

"You're the relationship expertise here."

"My last relationship failed because you stepped in." Jay reminded him.

"To be fair, it wasn't my fault that Nya-"

"I meant," Jay interrupted. "For making me fall for you instead."

Cole couldn't believe how sweet Jay was. His words were tickling Cole's ears, finding their way inside of his body and wrapping his heart into a tight embrace. His heartbeat picked up, leaving Cole speechless. If he was able to cry, he would. But as a ghost, that was impossible.

"Too soon?" Jay asked, giggling nervously. "Sorry-"

"Just stop apologising and give me a hug."

He didn't have to ask twice. Jay leaned in, wrapping his arms around his ghost friend - or whatever he was to him at that point. Cole returned the hug, pulling him closer to him protectively. It was not the first time they had hugged that night, but at that moment, the hug meant much more to both of them. It was a way of expressing their admiration for one another.

Since they were sitting down, they were not able to hug for long. However, Jay made sure to return to his original position, resting his head on Cole's chest.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Cole quitely asked as he covered them up with the blanket again.

"I don't know." Jay admitted, closing his eyes and making himself comfortable. "But I don't care either. I'm just glad that… You know."

"We're together?" Cole suggested.

"Yeah." Jay smiled. "That's exactly what I was thinking."


End file.
